( they're planetside. it's the first time in prax's life that he's set foot on any planet at all, much less earth, but here they are. they're on earth. the gravity feels heavy and the sun is bright and he feels a little sick. mei's handling it better than him, only hiding behind his leg when they're greeted by the dignitaries from the un that want a full report on the hybrids and everything they've seen. prax finds himself glad for amos' steady presence by his side because he's not sure he wouldn't have thrown up otherwise.
they're given rooms and time to acclimatise and then there are debriefings and there's time spent with mei. he gets to show her the ocean and look at it in as much wonder as his daughter and he's shown a beautiful garden, there's an elaborate dinner and there are drinks, but eventually exhaustion takes over for everyone, especially mei.
he tucks her into bed, but everything's too much still for him to go to sleep. too many impressions, too many emotions. he finds himself out on the balcony of his room, one that's joined with amos' balcony. he's glad amos has the room next to him, that holden's opposite the hall. )
[ Amos, honestly, hates everything about this. During the debriefs he sits with his chair backed from the table, his arms crossed over his chest. He avoids the dinners and the mingling and everything that doesn't involve shadowing Holden and Prax and keeping an eye out for their surroundings. He longs to be off Earth the moment he steps off the transport, the gravity feeling strange even to him now, after so long away from it. He keeps a hand to Prax's back and one hovering around Mei's head when they walk, their gait a little funny at first as they get used to 1g. He keeps a step behind at all times and only talks when spoken to.
He hates everything about it, until it gets to night, and he's able to see the stars, even though the pollution cloud makes them so much less bright than he knows them to be. He steps onto his balcony when all is said and done, only to find Prax there, looking up at the sky himself. Amos lets out a sigh of relief. They're probably under surveillance, even here and now in the 'privacy' of their rooms, but he doesn't care. ]
( prax has no reason yet to hate it, though the tension in amos' body makes him a little nervous as well, makes him want to look over his shoulder and make sure there's no threat coming. he trusts amos to do that instead. he has enough to do with keeping himself upright, with putting one foot in front of the other, with helping mei do the same.
it's strange, but for the most part, it isn't bad. it's a curious thing. but he's still glad to find amos step up next to him. )
Hi. ( responds, voice soft and the line of his shoulders relaxed. ) It's a lot, but I think I'm getting the hang of walking, at least. ( he turns his head to smile at amos. )
[ It's not because Amos isn't that Prax shouldn't. This is a first for him, and he should be making the most of it. Turning up to look at the stars, Amos breathes out softly. ]
Never thought I'd see them another way, when I was a kid. Now, looking at them from this angle feels weird. Wrong.
I don't know. I think so. ( it's a lot to take in and he hasn't had the time yet to be still and sort through all these new impressions to figure out whether he's enjoying them. what he enjoys is seeing mei excited. what he enjoys are the stars. what he enjoys is amos next to him, too. )
[ Amos turns to look at Prax, then, surprised by the words. For someone with his heart so close to his sleeve, it was sometimes really hard to read the doc. ]
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they're given rooms and time to acclimatise and then there are debriefings and there's time spent with mei. he gets to show her the ocean and look at it in as much wonder as his daughter and he's shown a beautiful garden, there's an elaborate dinner and there are drinks, but eventually exhaustion takes over for everyone, especially mei.
he tucks her into bed, but everything's too much still for him to go to sleep. too many impressions, too many emotions. he finds himself out on the balcony of his room, one that's joined with amos' balcony. he's glad amos has the room next to him, that holden's opposite the hall. )
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He hates everything about it, until it gets to night, and he's able to see the stars, even though the pollution cloud makes them so much less bright than he knows them to be. He steps onto his balcony when all is said and done, only to find Prax there, looking up at the sky himself. Amos lets out a sigh of relief. They're probably under surveillance, even here and now in the 'privacy' of their rooms, but he doesn't care. ]
Hey. How you handling it?
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it's strange, but for the most part, it isn't bad. it's a curious thing. but he's still glad to find amos step up next to him. )
Hi. ( responds, voice soft and the line of his shoulders relaxed. ) It's a lot, but I think I'm getting the hang of walking, at least. ( he turns his head to smile at amos. )
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[ It's not because Amos isn't that Prax shouldn't. This is a first for him, and he should be making the most of it. Turning up to look at the stars, Amos breathes out softly. ]
Never thought I'd see them another way, when I was a kid. Now, looking at them from this angle feels weird. Wrong.
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Right now, I am.
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Because of me?
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And the stars. I like seeing them like this. ( but even as he says it, he can't keep from glancing at amos. )
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( prax's response is immediate, but soft. ) It makes me think about how vast the universe is and how much there is to learn. And about beauty.